Archive for the ‘blue cheese’

Ranch, Blue Cheese, Thousand Island. Three dressings that have been ubiquitous on the American Dinner Table for decades. Of course, being American, these dressings have been adapted to serve other purposes than just coating lettuce. They are used for dipping vegetables, marinating, as a sandwich ingredient, and for mitigating the heat of Buffalo Wings.

Each one of these has an origin story that shows off, even in some small way, American ingenuity, taste, and not a little desperation.

Ranch Dressing was created on the true-life Hidden Valley Ranch (a dude ranch) near Santa Barbara, CA. The originator, Steve Henson, was said to have come up with the original recipe while working as an electrical contractor in Alaska. When he and his wife opened their dude ranch in the early 1950’s, they served the dressing to guests and it became a hit. They began selling kits to guests to take home and make their own dressing (just add buttermilk). The Hensons managed to build a small empire on their dressing, eventually selling their company to Clorox in the early 1970’s (the company still owns the brand).

Thousand Island Dressing has a slightly more murky history. One story is that Oscar (Oscar of the Waldorf) Tschirky introduced the dressing to patrons of the Waldorf Hotel in New York via his boss, George Boldt, who was served the dressing while on a boat tour in the Thousand Islands in upstate New York. It was said the chef on board basically threw together a salad dressing with whatever he had on hand, and it became a hit. Another story, probably the more likely one, is that Sophia LaLonde, the wife of the fishing guide at the Herald House on the Thousand Islands, came up with the recipe in or around 1911 to serve at the hotel and shore dinners there. The Broadway actress May Irwin enjoyed the dressing so much she asked for the recipe. Mrs. LaLonde obliged, and Ms. Irwin took it back to New York and gave the recipe to Mr. Boldt so the kitchen could prepare it for her. Once the Waldorf began offering the dressing to its patrons, the dressing became popular throughout the country. The Holiday House Hotel in the Thousand Islands still sells the original recipe dressing at the hotel and online.

Blue Cheese Dressing has a very murky origin story. It has been suggested that it originated in France, but that’s highly unlikely. The French prefer lighter vinaigrette-style dressing on their salad; it’s doubtful that putting cheese in their salads would even occur to the French. Blue cheese has been in America since at least the Revolution where that well-noted Francophile, Thomas Jefferson, enjoyed it at his dinner table. The first recorded evidence of Blue Cheese Dressing as we’ve come to know it (Then known as Roquefort Dressing) was in Edgewater Hotel Salad Book in 1928. An earlier version of the dressing appears in the Fannie Farmer’s 1918 Cookbook. By the 1930’s the dressing had spread in popularity not only through Fannie Farmer, but also through Irma Rombauer’s ubiquitous book, The Joy of Cooking.

For the Blue Cheese: Omit the sour cream and cheese; substitute vegan mayonnaise and plain soy milk; use crumbled hard

tofu to get the texture of the cheese; add tahini and apple cider vinegar (start with just a small

amount and add to taste). If you have some nutritional yeast, you can also use that for additional cheesy flavor.

For the Thousand Island: Substitute the mayonnaise for vegan mayonnaise.

2. If you can find it (and it’s getting easier to), use “country style” buttermilk. The flavor and thickness make so much difference in the finished dressing.

3. If you must use dried herbs in the Ranch Dressing, use 1/2 the amount of the fresh in the recipe. The dressing will need to sit for an hour for the herbs to infuse their flavor.

4. For the Blue Cheese Dressing, I used Amish Blue. I have used gorgonzola, roquefort, and Stilton in the past. Extravagant, but delicious. You can use any type of blue cheese you like – as your cheese department and budget will allow.

5. For the Thousand Island, I usually add more than 1 teaspoon of horseradish depending on what I’ll use it for (i.e. Reubens). So, adjust according to your taste.

6. You can substitute low-fat yogurt for some or all of the sour cream. If you must.

7. All of these dressings will last up to a week. If they begin to separate, just give them a stir. The Blue Cheese Dressing, will, however, thin out considerably as it sits. Just add more mayonnaise and sour cream to thicken.

Now, I will say, these are my versions of these dressings (and, no doubt, many others have made these same adjustments). You can certainly add, subtract, and/or change ingredients. For example, the original Thousand Island Dressing uses finely chopped egg in the recipe; I don’t. The original Ranch Dressing is made with buttermilk only; I’ve added mayonnaise. I’ve added lemon juice to the Blue Cheese Dressing. I, like many, have also added bacon from time to time (it’s excellent on burgers when you feel like indulging).

Sometimes, I like to go all ’70’s and use an Iceberg wedge when I serve any of these dressings. A dear, late friend of mine, Chef Roger Mollett, used to say, “Iceberg is the polyester of lettuce”. He’s right, you know.

The origin story of Waldorf Salad is a fairly straightforward and simple one. It was the creation of the long-time maitre d’ of the Waldorf Hotel (later to become the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel) in New York City, Oscar (“Oscar of the Waldorf”) Tschirky, in 1896. It became an instant favorite with diners at the hotel. Oscar, while not a chef, was the creator and inspiration of many of the dishes in the Waldorf’s first half-century. (He stayed with the hotel from 1893 until his retirement n 1943).

The original recipe consisted of simply apples, celery, and mayonnaise. Not long afterwards, walnuts were added and became an important component of the salad.

While I’ve stayed with the basic version of the salad, I have added my own variations as well. Somewhere along the way, I thought, why not add some blue cheese? It goes well with apples and walnuts as well as cutting some of the sweetness of the dried fruit. Besides, I just like blue cheese.

A few notes:

1. I like to use a mix of apples. As always, whenever I use apples in a recipe, Granny Smith apples are my base. I’ll add Pink Ladies, Gala, MacIntosh, or, if I’m feeling extravagant, Honeycrisp. The flavor contrast works well.

2. I’ve used both walnuts and pecans in this recipe. It just depends what I have on hand.

3. If you want to use yogurt in the salad, I would recommend going half-and-half with the mayonnaise. Yogurt alone would be too strong a flavor. Also, use a full-fat yogurt. Fat-free – yuk.

4. My preferred blue cheese in this recipe is either Amish Blue or Maytag Blue. These are both excellent American blue cheeses and are readily available. European-style blue cheeses (i.e. Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Cabrales), while delicious, are simply too strong.

5. I don’t peel my apples. You shouldn’t either.

6. I use very little celery in my recipe. Unlike the original recipe, I use it for flavoring, not as a main component. However, if you prefer to use more celery, feel free.

7. To make this dish vegan, simply omit the cheese (if you still want the cheese flavor, use nutritional yeast to taste), and use vegan mayonnaise.

The Ingredients

Granny Smith and Pink Lady Apples

Maytag Blue Cheese. Good stuff.

Walnuts. Not my favorite nut, but they work well here.

4 lg. apples, approx. 1 1/2 – 2 lbs.

1 lg. stalk celery, finely diced

1 1/2 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped (If you would like to toast them, put the nuts in a 350F oven for 5 – 7 minutes. Let cool before adding to the salad.)

1. Cut and core the apples. I like to use a melon baller to core out the apple and cut out the blossom and stem ends with a “v” shape cut. With the flat side down, cut the apple in to 1/2-inch thick slices. Then, with 2 – 3 slices laying flat on the cutting board, cut the apples into 1/2-inch dice. Place the apples into the bowl.

I find using a melon baller very effective for coring apples. Plus, it’s safer than either a knife or an apple corer. (I frankly find apple corers to be completely useless.)

Core. Out.

Remove the stem and blossom ends by cutting out a v-shaped piece at each end.

Blossom end cut out.

Apples cored, cleaned, and ready

2. Add the celery, nuts, and dried fruit. Toss together.

All mixed together.

3. Add the cheese and mayonnaise. Mix together until well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ready.

4. Traditionally, Waldorf Salad is served on a bed of lettuce. I generally don’t. However, if you would like to, go ahead. I like to serve the salad with crackers or a good crusty bread.